Subjective Study on Listener Envelopment Using Hybrid Room Acoustics Simulation and Higher Order Ambisonics Reproduction

In concert hall acoustics, the spatial character of a sound field has been understood as important for quite some time. Reichardt and Schmidt performed initial studies on the perception of directional reflections and reverberation1. Identifying lateral reflections as important, Reichardt and Lehmann proposed a metric, Room Impression Index (R), to predict subjective room impression, mainly in terms of spaciousness and liveliness2. Around the time of Reichardt’s first work, Marshall also introduced the concept of spatial responsiveness, and he concluded that a narrower hall cross-section created a higher sense of spatial and overall acoustic impression3.